Jeremy Corbyn was at the centre of fresh controversy last night after it was revealed that he backed a strong-armed Haitian leader accused of supporting the ‘necklacing’ of political opponents.

Mr Corbyn and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell proposed a series of Commons motions in support of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who has been condemned by human rights activists for allegedly endorsing ‘the threat of vigilante violence as a legitimate political tool’.

In 2011, Mr Corbyn tabled a motion calling for the return from exile of Aristide to ‘help lead social justice and democracy for the people’. Two years later, he signed a motion tabled by Mr McDonnell demanding protection for Aristide – by then back in Haiti – on the grounds that ‘he is respected and held dear’.

The Labour leader has also hailed Aristide, who became Haiti’s first democratically elected president in 1990, as a proponent of ‘social justice and democracy’.

But human rights groups have detailed a litany of allegations against the Aristide regime, with Amnesty International stating: ‘Repression of government opponents was harsh, carried out by police and armed gangs.’

Jeremy Corbyn proposed a series of Commons motions in support of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, pictured, who has been condemned by human rights activists for allegedly endorsing ‘the threat of vigilante violence as a legitimate political tool’

It is Aristide’s alleged support for ‘necklacing’ – a gruesome method of execution where petrol-soaked tyres are thrown over a person’s neck and set